Yanks Go Yard Radio Show Rewind: A’s-Yankees Preview (4/19-4/21)

On this episode of the YGY Radio Show, we look ahead to the A’s-Yankees series that begins tonight

On last night’s episode of the Yanks Go Yard Radio Show, I started off by giving my takeaway from the New York Yankees (5-6) losing two out of three to the Seattle Mariners in the Bronx this past weekend. The first two losses were defined by New York’s offense missing out on numerous opportunities with runners in scoring position. However, Masahiro Tanaka threw seven strong innings and Alex Rodriguez hit a big home run in the first inning Sunday to salvage the series.

More from Yanks Go Yard

• MLB Network Radio host thinks Yankees should shell out for Dansby Swanson
• Guy who caught Aaron Judge record HR ball cost himself tons of money in auction
• Did Yankees fans bully Hal Steinbrenner into signing Aaron Judge, Carlos Rodón?
• Andrew Benintendi-White Sox deal proves Yankees were right to prioritize Carlos Rodón
• Twins already bailing on Gary Sánchez emphasizes Yankees’ trade failure

Now, the Yankees continue their nine game homestand tonight when they begin a three game series against the Oakland Athletics (6-7). While the A’s were not picked by many prognosticators to contend in the AL West, they are off to a good start thanks to their pitching.

More from Yankees News

• Guy who caught Aaron Judge record HR ball cost himself tons of money in auction
• Did Yankees fans bully Hal Steinbrenner into signing Aaron Judge, Carlos Rodón?
• Andrew Benintendi-White Sox deal proves Yankees were right to prioritize Carlos Rodón
• Twins already bailing on Gary Sánchez emphasizes Yankees’ trade failure
• New Yankees No. 2 Carlos Rodón hates Astros, dominates them

Currently, the A’s combined pitching ERA is 2.90, which is third in the American League, behind only the Royals and the White Sox. The big surprise is the bullpen, which added relievers such as Ryan Madson and John Axford this offseason. Their bullpen has thrown the most innings of any AL team (46) and its 2.74 ERA is sixth in the AL.

On offense, the A’s added Khris Davis in an offseason trade with the Brewers, but the outfielder is off to a slow start with his new team (.162, no home runs, one RBI). Right now, the player to watch is outfielder Josh Reddick, who is hitting .238 with three home runs and nine RBI’s.

Next: Is Alex Rodriguez Done Or Slumping Terribly

To talk more about the A’s, I spoke with Rylan Edwards, a staff writer at Swingin A’s. Rylan gave his takeaways from the first two weeks of the season and his thoughts on the new-look bullpen. Here are some of the other topics we discussed:

• Grading the A’s offseason
• Pitching Matchup Breakdown
• Scouting Report on Eric Surcamp (Tonight A’s starter)
• Michael Pineda coming off an okay start in Toronto (Tonight’s Yankees starter)
• What improvements has Kendall Graveman (Tomorrow A’s starter) made this season?
• Can Nathan Eovaldi (Tomorrow’s Yankees starter) avoid giving up the big home runs?
• Was the Rich Hill (Thursday’s A’s starter) signing a good one by the A’s?
• Luis Severino (Thursday’s Yankees starter) has allowed 18 hits in two starts
• Yankees hitters to watch: Brett Gardner and Chase Headley
• A’s hitters to watch: Chris Coghlan and Stephen Vogt
• What has stood out about the development of shortstop Marcus Semien (.237, 4 HR, 6 RBI’s)

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE A’S-YANKEES PREVIEW SHOW!!!